Folding table leg hinge and latch structure



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FOLDING TABLE LEG HINGE AND LATCH STRUCTURE Original Filed March 3, 1950 N w WW Mr. T

mP B 1 my W; 8 5 5 i atented Sept. 28, 1954 FOLDING TABLE LEG HINGE AND LATCH STRUCTURE Benjamin G. Laskey and Walter P. Laskey, Hayward, Calif.

Substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 147,462, March 3, 1950. This application June 2, 1953, Serial No. 359,074

2 Claims.

This application is a substitute of our abandoned application, Serial No. 147,462, filed March 3, 1950.

This invention relates to an improved construction for mounting, upon a supported member, a support member movable between a first and a second position. A common illustration of such a structure is that of a table leg having each leg adapted to be moved between a folded and a support position; this invention is particularly concerned, for example, with the mounting of one member, corresponding to a table leg, upon a second member, corresponding to a table top, so that the one member can be moved readily from a collapsed position to a rigid support position. While the invention will be particularly described as it has been applied to the mounting of a table leg on a table top, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the construction can be utilized for other connection and upon devices and furniture other than tables.

It in general the broad object of the present invention to provide a hinged mounting for a table leg, the mounting having slots and pins to permit movement of the leg with respect to the table and to lock the leg in either an extended or a closed position.

The invention includes other objects and features of advantage, some of which, together with foregoing, will appear hereinafter wherein the preferred mounting is disclosed.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a plan view of a table top, showing the leg in folded position.

Figure 2 is a side view of the structure of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end view of the structure of Figure 1.

Figures l, 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the successive positions of the leg with respect to the table top the leg is moved between folded and supporting position.

Referring to the drawing, we provide a hinge member indicated generally at 8 in each corner of a member such as a table top generally indiat Q, member 8 joining a support member ii to the top 9.

The hinge member s is of a unitary constructien, being generally formed of one piece of sheet metal and having opposite sides 2! and 22 parallel to one another and joined by a back 23 whereby the sides 21 and 22 and the back 23 provide a U-shape mounting. Side 22 extends along an edge of the table top 9 and is secured thereto as by screw 24-; similarly, back 23 extends along another edge of the table top member and is secured by screw 25. Side 2! is bent to provide bracket 21 which fits along the underside of the table top to which it is secured by a screw 28. Thus, the hinge member is securely fastened at the corner and is engaged with the two sides which form the corner and with the underside of the table top; a like hinge mounting is provided at each table corner.

Each of the sides 2! and 22 include a passage generally indicated by numeral 3|, consisting of a slot portion 52 extending parallel to the plane of the table top from an end adjacent the back to a second end away from the back and another slot portion 33 extending at right angles thereto from the second end of the first slot portion, each slot portion being of a size to accommodate snugly a pin 34 which is extended through the leg I i. The pin 34 is provided at such a distance from end 38 of the leg that the leg can swing about the pin as a hinge when the pin is in the common portion of slot portion 32 and. 33, as will appear. The leg ll also includes a pin 3i; projecting therefrom on the lower outside face thereof, this pin being of a size to fit snugly within an aperture 31 provided cooperatively in the back 23. When the pin 36 is in the aperture 3?, the leg is locked securely against rocking movement.

When the leg is folded, it rests securely along the underside of the table top Q and it is in this position in which it appears in Figures 1, 2 and 3. When it is desired to return the leg to a supporting position in which the leg is extended about 90 to the table top, the leg being at rest with its square-cut end 38 in abutment against the inside face of the back 2", as appears in Figure 2, the leg is grasped and is drawn away from the member 8 until the pin 34 comes up against the end of the slot 32, as appears in Figure 4c. The leg is then turned at Q0" about the hinge provided by pin 3 3 and into that position in which it appears in Figure 5; in this position, the pin is is in the lower portion of the slot while pin Si; is resting against the inside face of the back 23. The leg is then moved axially toward the table top until the pin 36 is opposite the aperture 3? and pin til is in the common portion of slots 32 and 33, as appears in Figure 6. The leg is then moved to project pin 36 through the aperture 3i and to bring pin 3d into engagement with the end of slot 32. In this position, the end 38 of the leg is against the underside of the table top and is securely supported thereon by this engagement and by the engagement of the pins 34 and 35 with their cooperating apertures, as is shown in Figure 7. To release the leg, the procedure is reversed, that is, one returns the leg through the several positions of Figures 2, 4-7, beginning with that shown in Figure -7 and ending with that shown in Figure 2.

From the foregoing, we believe it will be apparent that we have provided a relatively novel and simple leg construction for supporting a leg upon a table to or the like.

We claim:

1. A hinge mounting for a leg on a table 00111- prising a U-shaped member having opposite sides and a back thereon adapted to be secured at a table corner and to project at 90 to the plane of such top, each side having a first slot extending parallel to said plane and a second slot extending at 90 to said plane from an end of said first slot, a first pin carried by said leg and projecting through the slots in each of said sides, said back having an aperture therein, and a second pin in said leg and positioned to engage said aperture snugly and to lock said leg against rocking movement when said leg is at 90 to said plane, both or" said pins being positioned perpendicular to the major axis of the leg and 90 irom each other.

2. A hinge mounting for a leg on a table comprising a U-shaped member having opposite sides and a back thereon adapted to be secured at a table corner and to project at 90 to the plane of such top, each side having a first slot extending parallel to said plane and having a first end adjacent said back and another end away from said back and a second slot extending at 90 to said plane and intersecting said other end of said first slot, a first pin carried by said leg and projecting through the slots in each of said sides to provide a hinge for said leg on said table, said back having an aperture therein, and a second pin in said leg and positioned to enga e said aperture snugly and to lock said leg against rocking movement when said leg is at 90 to said plane and first pin is adjacent said first end of said first slot, both of said pins being positioned perpendicular to the major axis of the leg and 90 from each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 875,195 Loitin Dec. 31, 1907 996,908 Craig July 4, 1911 1,535,682 Platt, Jr. Aug. 28, 1925 1,646,175 Thiede Oct. 18, 1927 1,820,592 Bauer Aug. 25, 1931 1,940,571 Windgassen Dec. 19, 1933 2,003,835 Mitchell June 4, 1935 2,202,318 Ralson May 28, 940 2,271,332 Ellington Jan. 27,1942 2,466,205 Burr Apr. 5, 1949 2,558,915 Shaffer July 3, 1951 

